


prince vs. wwitch

by Anonymous



Category: Homestuck
Genre: F/M, Prompt Fill
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2011-03-13
Updated: 2011-03-13
Packaged: 2017-10-16 22:46:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/170210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Captchalogue Prompt: Eridan<3-Rose Eridan and Rose meet up and have their ultimate showdown of ultimate destiny. Bonus points if Karkat tries to butt in at one point and immediately gets shunted out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	prince vs. wwitch

He doesn't know why he did it.

Revenge for his computer that exploded unceremoniously in his gorgeous face? To prove that magic was complete bullshit? Or something else?

All he knows is that when those stupid humans stumble into the lab, one by one, he can feel his blood bubble in... what? Anticipation, maybe?

The first one that pops out of the violently-crackling portal is surprisingly, the silly Harley girl, who rejected both his offers of affection _and_ his fucking awesome gun. He could (begrudgingly) understand the affection thing, but what kind of person turns down free stuff? With a high-pitched shriek of joy, she scampers over to his ex-moirail and Nepeta, whose eyes and smile have widened in excitement.

Next, Eridan blinks as he sees the real-life and not shitty-looking version of the kid that he's seen Terezi drawing, and sure enough, the blind girl wanders over to him, sniffing in delight, and gives him one of her signature grins. The guy doesn't even flinch or show any reaction (not like he really can behind those shades) to her sharp teeth, and she taps him warmly on the head with her cane. Aradia perks up at his presence, and takes eager steps toward him, Equius silently in tow.

The windy kid comes next, making the most noise as he practically falls on his face and skids a little across the metal floor. Karkat is immediately on the guy's case, yelling and scolding at him for being "such a fucking dumbass" with only a vague undertone of fondness, and Vriska is almost automatically by the boy's side, a smirk on her face as she ignores the fuming troll in favor of inquiring her moirail as he scratches his head idly and gives both of them a quirky smile.

That only left...

Eridan can't figure out what he feels in the pit of his stomach as Rose smoothly makes her way through the entrance, the ends of her sleek black robe gently skimming the floor, and faces everyone with an impassive stare. Kanaya is already there, asking her about how the trip was and what happened, but Rose is merely cocking an inquisitive eyebrow at the aquatic troll standing stock-still a few feet away, with an indistinguishable look directed at her.

"Is there something wrong that you'd like to inform me of?" she asks him professionally, and Eridan's mouth and body are moving before his mind can catch up.

He takes a few rapid steps forward before he extends a finger at the human girl, and declares boldly, "Witch! I challenge you to a duel!"

The ruckus around them immediately ceases, and Eridan almost has the urge to lower his hand and shy away from all the stares of mixed reactions directed toward him. Rose has an expected expression of incredulity on her face for a few moments, before it lapses back into it's previous state of coolness and calm. She gives him a pointed look for a few minutes, a smirk dancing on her lips, before she responds.

"I accept."

The crowd immediately erupts into a flurry of comments, most of them far from being in Eridan's favor. He feels like this was one of the most retarded ideas that he has ever created, and that it will most likely blow up in his face _just like his computer that this girl very easily took care of and will probably do the same to his poor body_. He can faintly hear Karkat's palms making abrupt contact with his face. Terezi's snickering and Nepeta's happy-go-lucky shouts of being there to bandage him up when he got his ass kicked were also not very reassuring.

Kanaya whispers into Rose's ear, and she nods several times before facing him again, face determined and amused at the same time. "Are there any conditions you'd like to set up before this challenge occurs?"

 _Fucking do something! Tell her it's in one hundred sweeps or--_ "Two hours from now, right in this spot," he finds himself answering, like a goddamn _moron_. He eyes her needles tied to her sash, slightly flickering with dark light. "Bring your magic sticks, or whatever the hell they are."

"And I'll assume you'll bring yours?" Rose's eyes shine eagerly, never leaving the form of her opponent.

"What else did I have them made for?" He scowls slightly at her, and tries to keep the thrilling feeling in his stomach down and to calm his slightly shaking shoulders. Eridan feels like they're the only two in the room, exchanging words before their destined battle, and that maybe his offer for kismessitude still sort of stood, if she wanted.

Rose nods silently, and gesturing toward her patron troll to lead the way, she turns on her heel and follows Kanaya through the halls, turning her head one last time to give Eridan a condescending leer. "I'll be looking forward to our match, Eridan Ampora."

He couldn't help the shiver that went down his spine, and quickly averts his eyes.

Silence lingers after the two disappear, and then it cracks as everyone else heads off to their individual locations, and Eridan doesn't move at all as he feels some hands slap him on the back and some cheers whooping out for him.

"Be strong, women should not be underestimated, sea-dweller."

Eridan feels Vriska heartily clap a hand down on his shoulder, cackling. "Good luck, Eridan! You're gonna need it, and I don't have any to spare!"

"Break a leg, Eridan! Just know I'll be meowt there, cheering!"

"Hehehe, I wonder if there'll be grape juice left over?"

Karkat stomps over to give him a plain look, mouth in a tight line. "Just don't fucking die, you fucking disappointing fish asshole. God, I just can't even _believe_..." He stalks off muttering, dragging John with him, who pauses to give him an uneasy grin.

"If Rose doesn't hold back and something bad happens, I guess I'm sorry for your sake? I hope she doesn't toss you around too violently..."

Great, now he was even getting pitied by fucking _humans_.

He endures the slightly non-helpful remarks for a little too long before he finds himself completely alone (gee, now this was a scenario he was awfully familiar with) in the middle of the room, peering down at the floor. Eridan sighs, tightening his scarf tighter around his neck before heading to his respiteblock to get his wand and _not_ cry.

Those two hours were going to come way too fast.

\--

Just like that, the troll finds himself back where he was prior, except now about fifty times more nervous with his wand clutched tightly in his grey hand. There had been a crowd earlier, but Karkat had huffily shooed them out, stating that _"We're already going to fucking have one dead moron here, and I don't need you shitheads getting caught in the crossfire and falling over the damn floor either."_ Either way, he was pretty sure everyone was lurking elsewhere, trying to catch a glimpse of the battle.

Rose sits in a chair a few feet across from him, and upon his arrival, had slammed her volume of poetry shut with an almost too-loud _poof!_. She stands up elegantly, and twirls the Thorns of Oglogoth expertly in her hands.

"Well, are you ready to start, Ampora?"

Eridan cracks a grin, feigning confidence as he tightens his grip on his wand, hoping that it was glowing with white and surging into his veins. "Heh, I'll be ready as I'll ever be, wit--"

His sentence is cut off when Rose is suddenly right in front of him (when did she get so _fast?!_ ), wand brandished dangerously close to his neck and snapping vigorously with dark energy. Her lavender eyes dance as they meet his, and he suddenly remembers to start breathing.

"Consider this," she shoves her wand-wielding arm a little deeper into his chest. "Your first lesson in showmanship."

Rose doesn't progress any further before she suddenly flings herself to the side, one of her sash's long tendrils singed from the burst of white energy Eridan had unleashed at her side. He exhales, and flashes her a smug grin.

Examining the damage for half a second, she looks up at him with a daring smile. "Not bad. It appears that I will enjoy this whole ordeal after all."


End file.
